Ephesians 3:14-21

          In Eph. 1 Paul prayed that believers would have their eyes opened wide to the depth and significance of their spiritual blessings.  Now, after revealing how the enmity between Jew and Gentile has been abolished by the Prince of Peace, he again prays, asking God to enable the believer to know the love of Christ.  

¨     Paul’s prayer of adoration, 3:14-15.

          As always prayer is addressed to the Father, the One who longs to provide for His children.  But the Father is further identified as the One from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.  The term family ties this in with the household of God (2:19) as well as the family emphasis in Paul’s stewardship.  Whether they have gone to be with the Lord in heaven or are now on earth, all the family has been chosen by God and predestined to be His sons.

¨     Paul’s prayer of supplication, 3:16-19.

          There is a definite process through which believers come to know the fullness of Christ’s love.

·        Paul first prays for strength in the inner man, v16.

·        The result of this inner strength will be that Christ dwells in the heart of the believer, v17a.  The word dwell has the idea of truly being at home.  Paul is praying for more than Christ simply being in the believer; He must occupy the house and be Lord of the house.

·        Paul then prays that they might be rooted and grounded in love, v17b.  This happens when Christ is truly at home in the believer through faith.  We experience His love in ways that go far beyond simply reading of His love in the Bible or hearing about His love from a preacher.  And as we experience His love during the successive trials of life we become rooted and grounded in that love.

·        As we grow solid in His love we come to comprehend that love in all it’s dimensions, v18-19a.  This love is wide, extending to every person and circumstance; it is long for all time; it is high with extreme sacrifice; and it is deep for the deepest need.  It surpasses knowledge in that it is hard to speak of, and yet we are able to comprehend it more and more.

·        The end of this is that we are then filled with the fullness of God, v19b.  To comprehend the love of Christ is to be filled with the fullness of God.  God chose us for this: to be like Him as a son is like his father.

¨     Paul’s prayer of commitment, 3:20-21.

          The power that works in us was identified in 1:19b-23 as the power that was at work in Christ.  Remember that this prayer began with a request for strength in the inner man.  This process cannot be accomplished in any way apart from God who does above what we ask or think.  Along with Paul let us give God glory.  His power has raised you to the heavenly places in Christ (2:1-10) and will cause you to be filled with the fullness of God.